GORDON Elliott heads into the Festival as the season’s leading trainer in terms of prize money, but says he has “no chance” of retaining that lead in the face of an expected avalanche of Willie Mullins-trained winners next week.

The Cullentra yard is still set to fire some quality bullets at the meeting, including back-to-back Cheltenham Festival heroine Wodhooh in the Grade 1 SBK Irish EBF Mares’ Champion Hurdle on Saturday.

“She’s been a superstar,” said Elliott. “She’s 10 out of 11 now over hurdles. She’s not fancy at home. When you look at her on the gallop, she just does what she has to do, but we’re lucky to have her.”

Teahupoo bids for a third consecutive win in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle, and could be joined by stablemate Honesty Policy (third in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree when last seen).

“I’m thinking about putting some headgear on Teahupoo - whether it’s blinkers or cheekpieces I’m not quite sure,” said Elliott.

“I wouldn’t say he’s not genuine. He’s just gone so laid-back and the problem with them staying races is, if the pace drops halfway through a race and you get out of it, it’s hard to get back into it.

“He loves going around Punchestown too, which is a help. Honesty Policy ran a great race at Cheltenham and at Aintree. He was unlucky not to be second as he got caught up in traffic turning in.”

On his primary novice hurdlers for the week, Elliott added: “El Cairos will definitely run in the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle.

“The Supreme didn’t work out at all at Cheltenham for any of the Irish horses - it was a very funny race. It was one of them things that baffle you.

Young guns

“The race was over at the start for Skylight Hustle at Cheltenham, when he got kicked and ran very, very free; it was over after two hurdles. Whether he’ll go for the same or the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle over two and a half on Friday, we’ll see.

“Koktail Brut bled at Christmas, but has run some very good races since and won at Fairyhouse. He has the two-and-a-half-mile option as well.

“We’ll have three or four in the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle over three miles. Kazansky, General Risk and Spinningayarn could be the three, though we can’t be definite at this stage.”

It’s up for discussion as to whether Western Fold will run in the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase over three miles and a furlong, and similar comments apply to Kala Conti, who didn’t look a beaten docket when falling at Aintree.

She may yet line up in the same option as Western Fold, or the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase over two miles. As for the Grade 1 Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion Bumper, Elliott said: “We’ll run two or three. I think Charismatic Kid has done enough this year, but I’d say we will run Low Kick, Soul Asylum and With Nolimit, who finished ninth at Cheltenham but was only beaten four lengths.”